Tottenham Hotspur (2)

Andrew Boff: Please provide me with the dates, locations and attendees of any meetings between the Mayor any representatives of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club since May 2016.
Please also include whether any Mayoral Directors were involved in any of these meetings and if so which ones.

The Mayor: In line with our publication scheme, my engagements are published via the Mayor’s diary on the GLA website twice a year.
The GLA has already published the diary covering the period May 2016 to October2017. The next publication of the diary will include dates from November 2017 to April 2018.
My key engagements are also published in my report’s to the Assembly which forms part of the meeting papers at each Mayor’s Question Time.
You will find the requested information from these sources.

Taxi and Private Hire Trade (7)

David Kurten: It is widely alleged in the media that UBER are deliberately avoiding their VAT liability; this is reported to be in the region of £1 billion pounds.1 Do you think this money would help to fund preventative measures and policing needed to tackle violent crime in London?
1https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/single-post/2019/05/19/HRMC-investigates-1billion-Uber-VAT-liabilities-in-what-could-be-the-biggest-tax-bill-ever-levied-in-the-uk

The Mayor: Please see my responses to Mayor's Question 2016/4073, Mayor's Question 2016/0549 and Mayor's Question2017/1718.

Ride-hailing Apps (2)

David Kurten: Given that ‘ride-hailing’ is not legally defined, do you classify ride-hailing app operators as ply-for-hire or pre-booked?

The Mayor: Alongside TfL, I have repeatedly called for a statutory definition of “plying for hire” and “pre-booked” services to remove any ambiguity and clearly define the difference between taxi and private hire services. A statutory definition would also provide greater clarity for licensees, regulators and users of those services. The Department for Transport-commissioned Taxi and Private Hire Task and Finish Group report, written by the Independent Chair Professor Mohammed Abdel-Haq also highlighted the need for statutory definitions. It is disappointing that the Government is not taking this forward and I urge them to think again. I welcome the support of the Assembly in lobbying Government on this matter.

Update on name-blind recruitment in the GLA group

Sian Berry: With reference to my question 2017/2811, since your 2018 review of name-blind recruitment in the GLA, what proportion of, and how many, recruitment processes in each of the GLA group of organisations have used name-blind shortlisting for job applicants? Are any future changes planned to procedures in each organisation to increase this proportion?

The Mayor: I said in the answer to Mayor's Question 2017/2811 that the GLA would review progress with anonymous recruitment in the Autumn of 2018. This review of the diversity of candidate fields between December 2016, when the GLA introduced ‘name-anonymous’ recruitment, and Autumn 2018 was undertaken by the GLA’s Resourcing Manager.
The review found that the shortlisting figures in this reporting period demonstrated positive outcomes for both women and BAME candidates, with the percentage of female candidates shortlisted rising from 55 per centto 58 per centand BAME candidates from 24 per centto 27 per cent. However, without a far more in-depth review this cannot be attributed to the introduction of name-anonymous shortlisting alone.
Since the review, the number of recruitment processes in each of the GLA group of organisations that have used name-anonymous shortlisting for job applicants and the proportion this represents of total recruitment processes are:
GLA
319 recruitment campaigns, 319 name-anonymous = 100%.
Future changes planned to increase the proportion: Of the 319 campaigns advertised, 31 were for the Housing and Land directorate. As part of this large recruitment campaign, the GLA trialled a CV and cover letter application process using software which, in addition to removing candidate names and personal data, also removed names of educational establishments and employers. A review of this trial will be completed Autumn 2019.
LFB
71 recruitment campaigns, 71 name-anonymous = 100%.
Future changes planned to increase the proportion: LFB will continue to employ and monitor the use of name-anonymous recruitment.
LLDC
61 recruitment campaigns, 53 name-anonymous = 87%.
Future changes planned to increase the proportion: LLDC is committed to ensuring that where possible they operate a fully name-anonymous process and are working with their applicant tracking provider to ensure that this is fully name-anonymous in order that when CVs are requested these are fully redacted (names removed).
MOPAC
17 recruitment campaigns, 17 name-anonymous = 100%.
Future changes planned to increase the proportion: MOPAC will continue to employ and monitor the use of name-anonymous recruitment.
MPS
The MPS does not use name-anonymous shortlisting for the vast majority of police officer and police staff recruitment. For initial police officer recruitment, candidates who meet the eligibility criteria progress to an assessment centre, therefore no shortlisting takes place. Anonymous shortlisting is used in some annual police officer promotion processes – they typically run 5 corporate process annually (Sergeant - Chief Superintendent).
Future changes planned to increase the proportion: The MPS will be considering further use of this approach in the future.
OPDC
8 recruitment campaigns, 8 name-anonymous = 100%.
Future changes planned to increase the proportion: The OPDC mirrors the GLA’s recruitment processes, so will continue to employ and monitor the use of name-anonymous recruitment.
TfL
No recruitment has been name-anonymous to date.
Future changes planned to increase the proportion: TfL have partnered with a recruitment solutions supplier who specialise in name-anonymous recruitment. This follows successful trials last year and they are in the process of ensuring this solution meets their stringent cyber security and information governance requirements before the solution is fully implemented. Once these requirements have been met, the solution will be switched on and name-anonymous recruitment will apply to all recruitment delivery at TfL.

Proposed new London Overground stations in the Old Oak Common area

Caroline Pidgeon: TfL’s response to the consultation on two new London Overground stations in the Old Oak Common area stated on the 19th December 2018: ‘Funding remains a significant constraint in delivering these proposals. We are currently seeking to establish a package of funding that could enable the stations to be delivered by 2026 alongside the new HS2 and Elizabeth line station.” Please provide a detailed update as to the progress TfL has made in securing a package of funding to deliver these two proposed stations and the estimated timescale for their delivery.

The Mayor: There is a positive business case for the proposed stations and TfL continues to investigate how funding could be secured to enable their delivery by 2026, with our partners at the OPDC and the local boroughs.
TfL has supported the OPDC’s successful bid for resources from the Housing Infrastructure Fund, which will unlock and accelerate major development activity in Old Oak North and facilitate developer contributions towards a range of proposed transport infrastructure. TfL has also supported OPDC’s review of potential future development capacities in the Old Oak Common Lane and North Acton area, with a view to better understanding how much developer funding might be secured towards transport infrastructure.

Ride-hailing Apps (3)

David Kurten: Is it unlawful for a taxi ride-hailing app to charge more than the metered taxi fare?

The Mayor: ‘Ride-hailing’ is not a term that is defined in law. Transport for London does not license operators of taxi services, including those that use apps, and there is no-one that fulfils such a role in the statutory regime for taxis.
However, for journeys in Greater London taxi drivers must not charge a fare which exceeds the maximum displayed on the meter.

Taxi and Private Hire Trade (5)

David Kurten: You recently said that taxi drivers should seek their own legal advice, if they have licensing concerns. How do you expect drivers to fund this, when the average cost is approximately £300 per hour? Would you consider giving taxi drivers access to TfL's legal department for legal advice?

The Mayor: I do not consider it would be appropriate for Transport for London, as the licensing authority, to provide legal advice to licensees. I recognise the costs of instructing lawyers and I encourage licensees to explore advisory services available through citizens’ advice bureaus, insurance policies or by linking up with others through trade bodies or unions.

Private Hire (1)

Keith Prince: In the interest of public safety, does the Mayor believe that a private hire operator should only confirm customer acceptance in the knowledge a driver is available and willing to complete that booking?

The Mayor: It is good practice for private hire operators to accept bookings only when they are confident that they can be fulfilled, and indeed I would expect private hire companies to make every effort to fulfil bookings they have accepted.

Taxi and Private Hire Trade (1)

David Kurten: Is it correct to say, as long as a fare is paid by the passenger to a 3rd party app then the meter fare is irrelevant because it’s the 3rd party app accepting the payment for the fare and not the driver?

The Mayor: Please see my answer to Mayor's Question2019/14249.

Public transport crime in Merton

Susan Hall: Please provide the number of crimes reported on public transport in Merton in 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19, broken down by crime type and transport method (tram, train etc

The Mayor: The attached spreadsheet shows a breakdown of reported crime in Merton. There is no DLR, TfL Rail or London Overground network in Merton.

Taxi and Private Hire Trade (11)

David Kurten: It has been reported that TfL meet with the LTDA and Unite to discuss the EV Infrastructure Delivery Plan, but excluded the LCDC, UCG and the RMT from this meeting. Why was this? Do you not consider it good practice to include representatives of all the taxi trade groups at important meetings?

The Mayor: A round table for taxi representatives to input to the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Delivery Plan took place on 29 October 2018. Representatives from LCDC, LTDA, RMT, UCG and Unite the Union were all invited.
Only representatives from LTDA and Unite the Union attended the meeting.

North vs South of the River Public Transport (13)

Andrew Boff: Please can you provide the average delay times for London Buses South of the River over the last year?

The Mayor: The bus network is planned holistically to be affordable, go everywhere and be used by everyone.
Rather than measuring average delay times on buses, Transport for London (TfL) measures Excess Wait Time (EWT) for passengers. EWT is the difference between the scheduled waiting time and the average actual waiting time for bus routes. For the bus network south of the river, the combined EWT for high-frequency routes in 2018/19 was 0.93 minutes.
TfL uses the EWT metric because the majority of London’s network operates at ‘turn up and go’ frequencies. This means passengers are less likely to use timetables, making a reliable, evenly-spaced service more important.

Ride-hailing Apps (1)

David Kurten: ‘Ride-hailing’ is a phrase often used by TfL but has no legal definition. What is your definition of ride-hailing?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor's Question 2019/14248.

Ride-hailing Apps (4)

David Kurten: Is it lawful for a black taxi to work for a ride-hailing app for a pre-set fee (i.e. off-meter)?

The Mayor: The fares for London taxi journeys in Greater London can be agreed in advance, via an app or otherwise, provided they do not go above the maximum displayed on the meter.

North vs South of the River Public Transport (14)

Andrew Boff: Please can you provide the average delay times for London Buses North of the river over the last year?

The Mayor: The bus network is planned holistically to be affordable, go everywhere and be used by everyone.
Rather than measuring average delay times on buses, Transport for London (TfL) measures Excess Wait Time (EWT) for passengers. EWT is the difference between the scheduled waiting time and the average actual waiting time for bus routes. For the bus network North of the river, the EWT for high frequency routes combined was 0.97 minutes in 2018/19.
TfL uses the EWT metric because the majority of London’s network operates at ‘turn up and go’ frequencies. This means passengers are less likely to use timetables, making a reliable, evenly-spaced service more important.

North vs South of the River Public Transport (15)

Andrew Boff: How many London buses broke down over the last year whilst South of the river?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) does not hold details of the number of buses that broke down on the north and south sides of the Thames. Instead, TfL measures the percentage of service unavailable, defined as ‘lost mileage’. This metric incentivises operators to keep their vehicle fleets well maintained and have substitute vehicles available so they can provide as much of their scheduled mileage as possible, making them resilient to unforeseen events like a bus being withdrawn following a collision or a break down and ultimately providing better passenger services. The measure isn’t sub-categorised further into types of mechanical issues or location.
For the most recent full financial year of 2018/19, 0.31 per cent of network mileage was classified as mechanical lost mileage – indicating how little disruption was caused by any form of engineering issue.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (1)

Andrew Boff: Please provide me with the dates, locations and attendees of any meetings between the Mayor and employees/directors of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club since May 2016.
Please also include whether any Mayoral Directors were involved in any of these meetings and if so which ones.

The Mayor: In line with our publication scheme, my engagements are published via the Mayor’s diary on the GLA website twice a year.
The GLA has already published the diary covering the period May 2016 to October2017. The next publication of the diary will include dates from November 2017 to April 2018.
My key engagements are also published in my report’s to the Assembly which forms part of the meeting papers at each Mayor’s Question Time.
You will find the requested information from these sources.

Review of HS2 – OPDC (1)

Navin Shah: Have you met, or are you planning to meet, Allan Cook, the Chair of HS2 to discuss his review of the project and what will be the impact on the delivery of 25,500 homes and 65,000 jobs if the HS2 is scrapped?

The Mayor: My Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, Jules Pipe, and Deputy Mayor for Transport, Heidi Alexander, met with Allan Cook last month to discuss HS2. They stressed the importance of new jobs and homes at Old Oak Common and Euston. I am hopeful that the resulting recommendations from the review will deliver the best outcomes for London and the UK economy. It is my understanding that the outcomes of this work will be considered as part of the government’s Spending Review.

Taxi and Private Hire Trade (4)

David Kurten: You previously said that Cashback is not a facility that is currently available in London Taxis. Who decides whether cashback is a facility that can be provided in a London Taxi? What mechanisms does TfL have to stop a taxi driver providing this?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) is responsible for the conditions of fitness for London cabs including that cabs must be fitted with an approved card payment device. The list of approved devices and their specifications is published on TfL’s website.
Card payment devices do not currently provide for cashback and I would be concerned about taxi drivers needing to carry large sums of cash to facilitate this.

Tottenham and GLA Mayoral Directors meetings

Andrew Boff: Please provide me with details of all meetings between GLA Mayoral Directors and representatives of Tottenham Football club. Please include locations, dates and all other attendees.

The Mayor: Please find below a list of all the meetings between GLA Mayoral Directors and representatives of Tottenham Football Club.
Meetings:
Subject: Pedestrianisation/clean air/Tottenham/NFL, City Hall - 20 Dec 2017
Leah Kreitzman
+ GLA official & Tottenham officials
Subject: Major Events Stakeholders, Tottenham - 14 March 2018
Leah Kreitzman
+ GLA, Tottenham, Haringey & NFL officials
Subject: TfL / THFC/ NFL Wayfinding and Hoardings Steering Group, Palestra - 18 June 2018
Leah Kreitzman
+ Tottenham, NFL, TfL officials & GLA officials
Subject: Tottenham Hotspur New Stadium & Foundation Visit - 11 Jan 2018
Mayor of London
Leah Kreitzman
+ Tottenham & NFL officials